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OPINION

Flooding flushes trash into river

Robert D. Luken
Published 6:03 p.m. ET April 12, 2015

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Debris washed from tributaries into the Ohio River drifts past the tow boat Mac McGinnis as she pushes upriver near the Roebling Suspension Bridge last week. A guest columnist is appalled by the litter in the river and elsewhere.(Photo: The Enquirer/Patrick Reddy)Buy Photo

Last June I moved to Newport after living in Germany, where I was a teacher for the Department of Defense Dependents' Schools for 29 years. Even though I could have retired in Germany, I knew that I wanted to return to my native country and experience the wonders of America during my retirement years.

Anyone who has traveled to Germany has observed that Germany is a remarkably clean and beautiful country of which the German people are extremely proud. America is also an incredibly beautiful and unique country. However, after several weeks of living in Newport and visiting other communities of this area, I became aware that America has a major problem with trash ... both in creating and disposing of it.

This trash problem became even more evident and shocking in the past few weeks. As we are all aware, the Ohio Valley witnessed the power of Mother Nature when the Ohio River and its tributaries recently flooded. The media kept us well informed of the possibility of flooding, its dangers and eventually the effects. Unfortunately, the media did not focus upon a major effect of the flooding: the huge amount of debris that was "flushed" down the Ohio River.

From my vacation home along the Ohio River in southeastern Indiana, I witnessed an unbelievable and disgusting amount of debris that rushed by my home. The debris was not simply things of nature – like trees and limbs, which I had expected, but included such manmade objects as plastics of all sorts, lumber, tires, toys and – believe it or not – a TV set that "beached" itself in my yard.

I simply could not believe what I was seeing. The floating trash islands were so large that at one point I photographed a flock of geese and ducks that had gathered on one and were experiencing a relaxing and speedy journey westward.

Naturally, I could not help but to question where this parade of disgusting debris, which lasted for many days, had originated. With a little research I learned that many of the communities along the Ohio River do have a system in place for trapping the debris that is flushed into the storm sewers, but trash that does not go through this "filtering process" most likely will end up in our waterways.

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Many people fail to understand that something as small as a cigarette butt or a gum wrapper, if dropped on the street or sidewalk, can possibly make its way to our waterways. As I walk the streets of these communities, I am shocked and dismayed by the amount of debris that is present, despite the many trash receptacles in place. I am also quite upset with the lack of recycling.

In Germany recycling was mandated by law, but most Germans would have done so regardless – out of respect and love for the environment. Residents and businesses kept their sidewalks and the streets in front of their property clean and debris free out of an almost instinctual sense of pride.

At my German home I had a medium-size trash can that was emptied once every two weeks. In Newport I have a gigantic trash container that is emptied twice a week. How can any one family generate that much trash? Does such a system of trash removal encourage recycling? I think that it does not, and what about the costs?

I strongly urge all residents who love this great community and the beautiful Ohio River as much as I do to think twice before improperly discarding a piece of trash, regardless of its size. Naturally, I cannot overemphasize the benefits of recycling.

Together we can make our communities more attractive and foster a sense of pride. Don't we owe our future generations that much?